Holy Saturday

Let's face it: Catholics have been calling on society to a higher moral norm: calling people on to dress in a way that represents the true dignity of the human person; calling people on to see that sex is not mere recreation, but is a true self-giving that involves not only the body, but the soul; calling people on to worship the objective Truth (that is, God) and not the porcelain throne after a night of excessive drinking. Catholics (should) call people on to find true joy and happiness-- AND Catholics should be finding it themselves as well.

In calling others on and in taking an objective view of society, Catholics can-- instead of being joyful and loving-- be condemning or despairing. This is not their calling. They are called to find and know hope; and to bring it to everyone. ("Always and everywhere be prepared to give reason for the hope which lives within you" 1 Peter 3:15). Catholics are to stop and smell the roses-- and then let everyone know how wonderful the roses smell. AND they are to lead others to those roses.

Those roses can come from receiving the Eucharist, from going to confession, from praying, from service, from actually stopping and smelling the roses and enjoying God's creation (like a good sunset).

And sometimes it is society itself that can provide hope as well. I say this because on Holy Thursday, I took this picture:

Notice the flag is half-mast. I asked the guard why this was. "Pasquale" he said: "The Passion and Death of Christ."

Hope indeed.